Five things that Aston Villa fans can expect from Tim Sherwood

With Aston Villa officially unveiling Tim Sherwood as boss, Coral look at five things that the former maverick Spurs boss could bring to the West Midlands club, who are 50/1 to finish in the top 10. On being appointed, his tactics became very clear.

“You’ve got to try to win football matches,” Sherwood said. “We’ve got good players. I remember facing Christian Benteke as a manager and I know what a handful he can be. There are a lot of big names in that squad and none of them want to get relegated.”

Emphasis on youth
While at Tottenham, Sherwood started to bring youth players through, with the likes of Harry Kane and Nabil Bentaleb handed game time, and since, both have gone on to excel. Villa have an abundance of potential youth stars, including 18-year-old winger Jack Grealish, who has been tipped for big things.

Build a team around Fabian Delph
While the midfielder may have signed a new contract, there is a suggestion that he did so to prevent him leaving for nothing, and enable Villa to recoup a fee for him. It has since been revealed though, that Delph loves the club, and having Sherwood in charge will only be a good thing around him. Delph represents the future of the club, and he can be a star.

Back to basics
As ever, when any new manager comes into a struggling club, he often goes back to basics, which includes effective communication, hard work and defensive organisation. Sherwood’s pragmatic approach will be perfect for the Villans, and as seen in the second half against Leicester, he clearly motivates the best from his team.

Utilise old-fashioned wingplay
Having snapped up Scott Sinclair from Manchester City, the 25-year-old showed flashes of his former best against the Foxes, even netting Villa’s second. Having pace on the flanks can be effective to Villa’s play, and in Sinclair and Grealish they have two very good wide options.

Telling Christian Benteke that he is the best
This kind of thing might be exactly what the Belgian striker needs, and Sherwood is known for his ability to get the best out of players. Putting an arm around the 24-year-old and telling him how good he is, can get him scoring again, and lift Villa up the table.